Friday, August 4, 2017

*Review* The Gathering by Dan Poblocki

Dash, Dylan, Poppy, Marcus, and Azumi don't know this at first. They each think they've been summoned to Shadow House for innocent reasons. But there's nothing innocent about Shadow House.

Something within its walls is wickedly wrong. Nothing -- and nobody -- can be trusted. Hallways move. Doors vanish. Ghosts appear. Children disappear.

And the way out?

That's disappeared, too...

Enter Shadow House... if you dare.

Don't just read about Shadow House -- explore its haunted depths with the free app!

Review

I received a copy of the audiobook version of this book through Audiobook Sync's summer reading program for teenagers with absolutely zero strings attached. This is my honest review.This is a full length novel, but it felt like it was just a small taste of the whole story. When I got to the end I wanted so much more. I mean, it's fortunate that it's just the first book in the series, so I can read more, and the book absolutely did its job getting me hooked on the storyline and wanting to know more. Now I just have to find the time to read more of the series, which is easier said than done where I'm concerned. The saving grace for this series is that it's middle grade fiction, so when I get to reading it, it should be a quick read for me. This story was absolutely creepy. There's an underlying mystery that I still don't have fully figured out yet. The book had a bit of a House on Haunted Hill vibe to it. A part of me feels like the children that were lured to the house were chosen because of a genetic connection like in House on Haunted Hill. I have no real reason for that feeling though (except in Poppy's case), it's just a hunch that I have. Even though this is just a middle grade book, it kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next, and trying to figure out why any of it was happening in the first place. I would definitely recommend this book to people that like horror because it has all of the elements necessary for a creeptastic time. 5 out of 5 stars. - Katie

Dan Poblocki is the author of The Stone Child, The Nightmarys, The Ghost of Graylock, The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, The Book of Bad Things, and the Mysterious Four series. He lives in Brooklyn with two adorable cats and more books than he has room for. Visit him at www.danpoblocki.com.